Not Another Campfire Story
by DreadWombat
Summary: Getting along with Arya Stark is never an easy task. Especially if she reluctantly attends a summer camp. Somebody manages to lighten up her mood. Gendry/Arya Modern!AU !ON HIATUS UNTIL DECEMBER!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Warning: Random fic is random! :D **

**I fuckin LOVE stories set in a camp, so I decided to throw my (almost-)OTP in one! =) **

**For the sake of the story I changed their age (and age difference). Arya is 15(will turn 16 later), Sansa: 17; Bran: 13; Rickon: 10; Gendry: 19**

**Also, brace yourselves, possible bad English is coming! D:**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, but incorrect grammar and typos. They are mine. MINE. copyrighted.**

* * *

**PROLOGUE**

"Mom, I really don't want to go. You can't make me!" Arya protested vigorously. Her mother stared back at the disapproving frown on her daughter's face. She didn't know what to say anymore. They had been arguing for hours, because Arya refused to attend the summer camp. Sansa wasn't too keen on it either, but she could be reasoned with and she understood it was necessary. Their father and Catelyn's husband Eddard had died a few days ago.  
No one had not seen it coming, it happened so fast and everything had been chaotic since then.  
Catelyn had hit rock bottom and only having to care for her children made her hold back the tears. At least when they were around. Additionally she had to worry about having to move house due to a rather complicated conflict with the Lannister family. And her son Bran had broken his leg in an accident- he had climbed a tree and had fallen a long way down. He was currently in a hospital.  
Robb and Jon had supported her for the last few days, consoling their younger siblings. But the pressure had gone to her head and she felt like it was better to send her children away for a while, so she could give her best attention to sorting stuff out.  
She also wanted them to have some kind of distraction- especially Rickon, who suffered the most. Ned's death had been deeply upsetting for all of them. It was enough if _she_ went crazy.  
When Robb and Jon had returned to their university in Oxford, Catelyn had reluctantly organized a stay at a summer camp in Northern Ireland for Rickon, Arya and Sansa- she knew none of them would like the idea of leaving London, especially not for all the holidays.  
Rickon had been okay with it, Sansa had agreed after a while, but Arya being Arya was not willing to give in. _Summer Camp?_ What the shit was she thinking?  
Catelyn buried her face in her hands and sighed.  
Arya bristled when her sister Sansa grabbed her arm and hissed: "Arya, it's enough, don't make this harder for mom than it already is. I'm sick of your constant arguing, goddamnit, can you just stop being stubborn for ONCE in your life?"  
Arya scowled at her older sister.  
"Um, thanks, but no way." She got up from the table and was about to bolt to her room

"Arya please just-"

It's not _fair_, Bran can stay, why can't I? "  
"Because he's in a HOSPITAL, Arya. If he gets better I might send him to the camp, too."  
Arya knew her mother was only saying that to allay her anger.  
She had known from the beginning that fighting was pointless. In the end she would have to leave, but she still wasn't OK with it and she did not want to give in without trying to convince Catelyn otherwise.  
She glanced at her mother- who looked excruciatingly tired- and decided it might be time to give in after all. It wasn't her mother's fault that things had gotten out of hand.  
"But I can take Nymeria with me, right?… Right?" She did not intent to leave her faithful wolfhound.  
The desperate look on Catelyn's face however already gave away what she was about to say. She opened her mouth, but then only shook her head.  
Arya felt being kicked by Sansa under the table. It was a silent warning. Don't argue anymore.  
Still, she sprang up, furious, and screamed: "WHOA NO WAY! Mom, leaving home is one thing, but I have to leave Nymeria behind? I don't get to see my friends all summer long? I don't WANT to leave, I know you think we can't handle… " she swallowed "…Dad's death, but we can. I mean, I can. Please let me stay!" Tears of anger were gathering at the corner of her eyes.  
She did not think about whether her next words would come across too harsh:  
"Dad wouldn't have made me go if I did not want to."

She could see Catelyn tense.  
Sansa looked utterly shocked.  
The silence was overwhelming and Arya wondered if her mom would scream at her.

But then Catelyn took a deep breath and said: "Arya. I'm sorry. But this is not really a discussion. You're going. I don't see another way and maybe you will like it a bit. You have to understand, just look at the situation we're in."  
There was once again silence for a while.  
Then Arya burst out: " OKAY, OKAY! But I'm ONLY going because it's kind of an emergency! I WON'T stay all holidays long! I will return as soon as things calm down. And most certainly I will NOT. LIKE IT. Not even a bit, I'm too old for this."  
Relief was all over her mother's face now. She forced a smile and said "We'll see. I'll look after Nymeria. And time will go by fast."  
"I hope so" Arya muttered and left for her room to pack her stuff.

* * *

Arya slammed her door behind her with a strength she didn't know she was capable of. She flopped onto her bed and starting mentally cursing out her mother. And her sister. Everything that happened.

She grabbed her phone and texted Jon:

_My life is over._

_In case I can sneak out of that damn camp I'll go and live with you for a while._

_Be sure you have an extra bed. Thanks in advance_

She wasn't being serious, but the thought of running away from the camp- or better- not even going there- was tempting. He replied a few seconds later

_No way, sis. Sorry, but Cat wouldn't let you stay with me- it's no secret she hates me. _

_Better get packing. x_

Get packing? _Yeah, like I'd have time to pack with all the FREAKING OUT I need to do._


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I hate writing the getting-to-know-parts xD I hope it's kind of okay though.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. Just kidding, I'm George RR Martin. I'll kill your fave characters btw.**

* * *

**CHAPTER 1**  
Arya stared out the dusty window as the camp bus bounced over the narrow, winding road, listening to music on her iPod. All she could see were hills in the distance beneath a grey and cloudy sky. Stumpy white trees lined the road like fence posts. They were way out in the wilderness. They had passed desolate houses and farms, but no major villages or cities for nearly an hour.  
She was sitting in the back row, next to Rickon and Sansa. As soon as the dreary countryside started to bore her she glanced around the bus and felt extremely out of place.  
There were estimated as many boys as there were girls. To her surprise, some of them - about a quarter- looked like they were of the same age as her. The girls sat together in the front rows talking quietly to each other. They seemed to be friends, or at least familiar with each other. Anyone taking a look at Arya and Sansa would have guessed they are complete strangers- ignoring each other and not even looking like they were related.  
The boys in the back of the bus were a lot louder than the rest of them, cracking jokes, laughing and shouting out dumb things. She turned around and shot an annoyed look at them.  
She noticed one guy sitting in a row alone, not talking to anyone. He had short dark brownish hair and was wearing baggy brown shorts and a green t-shirt that said 'Camp Westeros' (probably the name of the camp.) so Arya concluded he was one of the camp counselors. He looked young though, he appeared to be younger than 20. She tried to make out the letters on his name badge.

Gendry.

He looked up. Arya stared back. He looked startled, but not unfriendly. He smiled at her and was about to say something, but she turned away.

She regretted not visiting the website of the Camp. She hardly knew what to expect.  
All she knew now was that it was called "Camp Westeros". Weird name.

The bus entered a tunnel and Arya glanced at her reflection in the window. She still had not gotten used to her new appearance (she had had her hair cut short before they had left for the camp. She thought if everything was going to change from now on, she could just change her appearance as well.)

Sansa, who had been texting for almost all the ride finally put her phone in her purse and stared out of the window. Arya was not sure, but Sansa almost came across as a bit nervous.  
Arya had to admit that, as the bus took them farther and farther away from their home, she was feeling more and more uneasy. Many teenagers in the bus looked a bit worried. Arya envied them. For them it was just some adventure. If they were unhappy, they knew they could return to a safe and sound home, where everything is perfectly fine. Arya however knew nothing was fine back home. The Lannisters were trying to force her mother to give up the Stark mansion in London, because it originally belonged to her father. Who had died. These unsettling thoughts were still on her mind, no matter how far the bus took her away from home.  
Rickon pressed his face against the window glass and stared out at the red hills rolling by in the distance.  
"Are you okay, Rickon?" Arya asked. "Yeah, Sure." He replied quickly without turning around. His voice was a high-pitched weeping though, Arya was convinced he had been crying.

After driving out of the tunnel, the environment looked the same as before.

While driving through a forest the bus suddenly stopped in the middle of a clearing. The doors slid open.  
"Where are we?" someone called out. "Maybe this IS the camp." Someone joked.  
The bus driver told everyone to get out and so they did.  
"Why are we getting out here?" Sansa asked, slightly annoyed.  
"It's just a short break, guys. And fresh air for a change is nice, isn't it?"  
Arya turned around to see who was speaking. The camp-staff guy from before was standing right next to her and Sansa. Gendry.  
After a few seconds of awkward silence he said: "I'm Gendry by the way. If you haven't guessed" he pointed at his name badge. "I work at the camp , starting this summer. So where are you from?"  
Sansa smiled at him. "Nice to meet you. I'm Sansa Stark." (Arya rolled her eyes at Sansa's excessive courtesy.) "We're from London."  
Gendry stared at them, looking a bit confused. "London." Arya repeated. "Um. South-East England?"  
"I _know_ where London is, thanks." He replied, laughing. Arya shrugged, annoyed and embarrassed. "I was just thinking…" he continued, "did you say 'Stark?'. Like, that Stark family? Do you know Robert Baratheon? I think he was friends with… your father I think."  
Sansa nodded. Arya added: "WAS, indeed."  
Gendry quickly glanced at her, puzzled. Then he smiled and said "Robert was my…" he stopped abruptly, like he was going to say something but thought better of it. He only added. "I'm related to him."  
"How come we have never met you before then?" Sansa asked sceptically.  
"Uhh, that's a long story." Gendry quickly replied.  
Arya, unlike Sansa, was not interested in chatting and walked over to Rickon who was leaning on the bus and observing them from afar.

A few minutes later they got on the bus again. Arya overheard Gendry mentioning they would be at Camp Westeros in less than an hour from now.  
_"Good, at least the boring ride will be over"_ she thought. _"I guess from now on it will get worse."_


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: So this chapter makes this fanfic look like a Gendry/Sansa ff. meh. There shall be some Gendrya action in Chapter 4! :D**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. That's why I cry myself to sleep every night.**

* * *

**Chapter 3**

Arya heard the bus screech to a halt. She noticed that the girls' conversations had picked up tempo and volume, a clear sign that they had arrived. That, and several of them screeching out as they saw old bunk mates from previous years outside getting off other buses. Arya hung back, not wanting to get run over by someone trying to get to her long lost BFF from the previous summer.  
She descended the steps of the bus, the last one off, and headed toward where the driver was taking out the last pieces of luggage. She grabbed her large duffle bag and sleeping bag. Then they all gathered around a big and redheaded guy with freckles all over his face. He grinned at them.  
"Hey guys! I'm Chris, I'm the camp director! I hope you enjoyed your journey. Welcome to Camp Westeros."  
He was wearing white shorts and a green camp T-shirt. Two other guys- one of them being Gendry- stood next to him.  
"These lads are two of the counsellors." He pointed at Gendry and the other guy. " If you have any questions, you can ask me- or preferably one of them. I hate repeating myself," he winked and grinned even wider.  
Arya was already beginning to feel annoyed. She just wanted to get assigned to a room and stay there until summer was over.  
Chris told them to follow him.  
They followed the narrow, winding road across a small river. Several small cabins and a big wooden sign proclaiming Camp Westeros came into view.  
On top of a gently sloping hill stood a large, white-shingled building, probably a meeting lodge or mess hall. At the edge of a field, three counsellors, all dressed in shorts and green T-shirts were working to start a fire in a large stone barbecue pit.  
"Okay, stop here, and line up for your bunk assignments. Once you get unpacked and have dinner, I'll see you at the campfire."  
As Arya, Sansa and Rickon took their place in line, Arya searched for the waterfront. She could hear the soft rush of the river behind a thick row of trees, but could not see it.  
Arya and Sansa were paired up with 2 other girls and assigned to Bunk 4.  
Arya pitied Rickon, who got assigned to Bunk 15. The other three guys were not only complete strangers to him, they also seemed to be friends.  
Arya was not sure whether to be relieved or annoyed about sharing a cabin with her sister. Arya and Sansa did not get along very well, but she also did not want to be in the same situation as Rickon was, being the only one without someone he knew in his cabin.  
The other two girls in Arya's and Sansa's group seemed not to be familiar with each other.

Bunk 4. Arya thought it should have a more interesting name, but it just had a number. It was really small with a low ceiling and windows on two sides. It was just big enough for four campers. There were bunk beds against three walls and tall shelves on the fourth wall, with a little square of space in the middle.  
"Can I have a lower one?" Sansa asked Arya. She shrugged and nodded half-heartedly.

—

They unpacked their stuff early and still had time until they had to go to dinner.  
Since most of them were new, everyone wanted to walk around the grounds and find out where stuff was, so they set off. Arya did not feel like doing anything at this Camp, but Rickon asked her to come with them. "And be polite," Sansa hissed.  
The grounds had the staff cabins set off a little ways from the campers cabins, but still close enough that you could get there within a couple minutes walk.  
Off to the side were the camp offices and the first aid cabin.  
The trio headed toward where they assumed the sports field was, passing the lake on the way. The lake had a great dock and further out was a big float that one could swim out to and climb onto to sunbath or rest before heading back to shore.

The afternoon was quickly coming to a close, so they headed back to camp for dinner.

The campfire was in a flat clearing surrounded by a circle of round, white stones. Ahead of them a thick line of evergreen trees formed a fence that hid the river from view.

Dinner around the big campfire seemed to put everyone in a better mood. Arya did not want to admit it, but she felt not as miserable as when they had arrived. Sansa was chatting with their roommates sitting next to her. For some reason Arya was annoyed by her sister's light-heartedness. She looked around and spotted Rickon among a group of boys. She was relieved to see him cackling and playfully wrestling with a small boy next to him.  
"_Looks like he already made friends._" she thought.  
The counsellors were easy to spot. They all wore identical green shirts. There were eight or ten of them, all young guys, probably nineteen or twenty. They ate together quietly, some of them talking to campers they seemed to know from years before.  
Arya kept looking at Gendry for a while, who was talking to the female counselor next to him.  
He pointed at something and she laughed.

Suddenly, the camp director climbed to his feet and motioned with both hands for them all to be quiet.  
"I want to welcome you all to Camp Westeros" he began. "I hope you're all unpacked and comfortable in your bunks. I know that some of you are first-time campers. It's really nice to meet all of you"  
He looked indeed extremely enthusiastic and delighted.  
"I'd like to tell you some of our basic rules," he continued. "Let's start with the most unpopular one: Lights out is at nine sharp for those of you younger than 12. For the others it's twelve. "  
A lot of the guys groaned. Although Arya wasn't too keen on obeying rules, she could not care less about when they had to sleep.  
Chris smiled apologetically and added: "I know, most of you want to ignore this rule. That's why we are willing to make an exception sometimes. Please ask your counsellors instead of sneaking out of you cabins at night."  
He paused to clear his throat.  
Arya's thoughts trailed off and she did not listen to what was said until Sansa nudged her. "I can tell you're not listening. If you get us into trouble , because you disobey the rules , I will kill you, Arya."  
Arya was about to spit back a reply, but then Chris continued: "I know this was a lot of information, if you have any questions, turn to any of the staff or your group's counsellor. Did you all memorize your bunk's number, because each of them is assigned to one of the counsellors. The one your group is assigned to will be your contact person here. They will tell you what you're going to do over the next weeks. Then you can do whatever you want for today."  
He unfolded a slip of paper and read each of the cabins' numbers aloud, followed by one of the counsellors' names.  
"Bunk 1: Colin." One of the counsellors rose to his feet and ordered the girls from Bunk 1 to follow him.  
Arya overheard him asking them if they wanted him to show them round. They nodded and left the clearing.  
When it was their turn, Arya pricked up her ears.  
"Bunk 4: Gendry."  
Arya rolled her eyes. _Great_. The only guy she talked to today, and she had made a fool of herself, explaining to him where London is. Sansa smiled at him and he grinned back. Arya avoided eye contact as everyone from her cabin got up and headed towards the bunks again, following Gendry.

They came to a halt shortly before they reached their bunks.  
Gendry turned to them and said: "So, I guess you already know where everything is?"  
All four of them nodded.  
"Okay, cool! So-" One of the other two girls- Arya still had no idea what their names were- asked: "Umm, are here really poisonous snakes around?"  
"No." Gendry replied, smiling reassuringly. "Camp directors love scaring kids, it's the only fun they have."  
He puffed out his chest and imitated Chris: "Don't go out after lights out or you'll never be seen again!" he thundered and then laughed. "Don't even worry about it, the most dangerous animal you MIGHT encounter here are badgers."

He asked all their names and suggested they could go and sit by the lake, where he would tell them about their upcoming daily routines.

The lake had a great dock and further out was a big float that one could swim out to and climb onto to sunbath or rest before heading back to shore. Now this place for once looks like a lot of fun, Arya thought, smiling to herself.

They set down at a picnic table and Gendry gave them instructions on where to find things and mentioned a couple of camping trips that all the campers would be attending.  
"What if we don't want to go?" Arya asked sharply, trying not to sound too annoyed, because Gendry was actually kind of nice and she didn't want him to be uncomfortable.  
He looked at her, puzzled and fumbled for words. "Umm. Are you sure- I mean, I guess you can't. Everyone is going, so no supervisors will be back here at the Camp. But the trips aren't too long."  
Arya shrugged and crossed her arms, but kept silent.  
Gendry however kept gazing wonderingly at her.  
"Why don't you want to go?"  
Arya was about to tell him how she was forced to come here against her will- but Sansa shot her a warning glance and Arya did not feel like arguing for once. So she shrugged and muttered: "Never mind, it's fine."  
Inwardly, she already tried to come up with the simplest way of sneaking away from obligatory activities without anyone noticing.  
Sansa managed to steer the conversation away from Arya's attitude towards the camp, and if Gendry noticed he didn't question it.

He seemed to be a good-natured and talkative guy.  
At dusk, they were well into talking about how Gendry ended up working at Camp Westeros, when Sansa suddenly got up.  
"It's getting late and I still want to go have a shower." The other girls- Arya had learnt their names were Millie and Hannah- nodded approvingly.  
"Sure, It was nice talking to you." Gendry said. Sansa smiled at him- when she realized Arya had not moved she said: "Let's go, Arya!"  
Arya did not like to be ordered around by her sister and debated whether to refuse coming with them right now.  
"Don't be so bossy" she snarled at Sansa, but got up from her seat anyway.

Gendry accompanied them to their cabin. Arya was walking ahead of the others. She felt pretty exhausted and couldn't wait to fall into her bed. Also she was not really interested in the other girls' chitchat. It was only until hearing footsteps next to her when Arya looked up to see Gendry had caught up with her.

Arya turned her head questioningly and slowed down a bit.

"You see, I was thinking about what you mentioned before" he began. "Y'know, you said you don't want to attend any camping trips, right? I know, you said it's fine, but… In case you change your mind and you don't want to leave the camp- that's okay, let me know. We will arrange something."  
Arya was surprised at his willingness to compromise with her. She knew she had not been easy to get along with, so she expected everyone to tell her to get over herself. She suddenly felt bad for troubling him. It was not his fault she was in a terribly bad mood.  
She smiled apologetically and said: "Oh thanks. But it won't be necessary, I didn't mean to be rude. I don't have a problem with camping, really. "  
"You sure?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.  
Arya nodded.  
"Okay. Cool." Gendry said, winking at her.

They came to a halt in front of their cabin and as soon as Sansa, Millie and Hannah caught up with them, Gendry said "Okay, see you tomorrow. Everyone will meet on the sports field tomorrow at nine."  
They said goodbye and entered their cabin.  
She gritted her teeth when she thought of having to take part in some silly team sport. Sansa did not look too happy either.  
Arya started to pull off her shoes. She was too tired to change or wash up and planned to sleep in her clothes.  
Tomorrow she'd still have time to have a shower.  
When Sansa came out of the shower, towel-wrapped, she gave Arya, who was lying in her bed still fully clothed a disdainful look, but said nothing.

Hours after they'd turned off the lights, Arya still was not able to sleep in spite of being terribly exhausted. She lay curled up and trembling in her bed.  
All the thoughts she had blocked out today came rushing back into her head.  
She relived the moment she had heard about her father's death over and over.  
Her sister's fainting, her mother's crying.

_"If Dad were still alive, I wouldn't be stuck here._"


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews/follows/favourites so far =D**

**Disclaimer: Not mine. Nothing.**

* * *

**Chapter 4**

Arya dragged herself out of bed the next morning. She blamed her shortened sleep schedule for feeling extremely weary. And she was certainly not all that keen on dealing with loud children and teenagers and- worst of all- Sansa all day.  
A cranky Arya was no one's friend, so she vowed to work her best to snap out of it. After all, it was only the beginning of the second day and she was annoyed as hell.  
The fact that it was raining made it even worse.

After dressing, she and her bunkmates headed towards the sports field together.  
A huge tumult awaited them; most of the campers had already gathered there. They were chatting, laughing and messing around.  
Arya was wondering how one could actually_ enjoy_ being here, when she spotted Rickon among a group of boys, all about his age. While walking up to him, he noticed her and Sansa, too and ran towards them.  
"Good morning" Sansa greeted him. Arya gave him a quick smile. "What have you been doing yesterday?" she asked.  
"Oh, a lot. We explored _everything_ here and went swimming- and then I saw a fox and I got real close, but then-"  
"_What?_" Sansa interrupted him.  
"I saw a fox and-"  
"No, you said you went _swimming_? Do you want to get yourself killed? It's too cold for that kind of stuff, Summer has hardly begun and you-"  
"Well, the other guys said I wouldn't dare to jump in, but I did! I was freezing at first, but it was okay, later."  
Sansa continued with her angry rant. Arya, on the contrary, highfived Rickon.  
"Arya!" Sansa gasped.  
She took no further notice and watched Rickon run back to his new friends.  
"_At least one of us is having fun._" she thought bitterly.

The situation she was in seemed absolutely ridiculous to her. Her father had died about two weeks ago and now she found herself at a _Summer Camp_. This was simply not the right time for holidays let alone for having fun. Although she was aware her mother had her reasons to send them away, Arya felt this was not the right time to rip the family apart- when they ought to stick together more than ever before.  
"_We must protect ourselves. Look after one another_".  
Her father's words rang in her ears.  
Looking after one another. This was not what they were doing. Her mother was alone. Bran was alone. How could her mother possibly think of _this_ as a good idea?

Everyone quieted down and the sudden silence interrupted her thoughts.  
They gathered around the group of counsellors.  
"Listen up, guys." A blonde, tall guy stepped forward. "Since it's raining, I guess most of you want to stay inside. For those of you aren't that wimpy, you can either stay here and participate in any team sports you want, or -since you're wet already- go canoeing or kayaking, whatever.  
The others can go inside and take part in any indoor activities. Got it?"  
Some nodded, some were already on their way to go inside.

"Alright, who's in for a Volleyball match?"  
Surprisingly, a small amount of kids- mostly boys- raised their hands.

Sansa growled something she did not understand and headed towards the meeting lodge.  
Arya considered following her, but then thought better of it. Indoors, she would have to take part in some damn activity, while she wanted nothing more than to be alone, at least for a while.  
The question of how to get away from all the others was answered when she realized hardly anyone was going for the canoeing option. In fact, she only saw a boy and a girl heading towards the lake. She decided to follow them and as soon as they would reach the lake, she'd wait onshore. It was basically an opportunity for her to keep out of silly camp programmes without breaking the rules. If anyone asked, she still could say she had wanted to take part at first, but later did not feel too good.

She sat down on the only dry spot she could find, in front of a big tree, that provided shelter from the rain. She leaned back against the trunk , bringing up her knees to clasp her arms around them.

Neither the boy nor the girl had seen her, or if they did, they took no notice. They sprang inside one of the boats; not having rowed too far from the shore, they started to make out.  
Arya looked at them with disdainful raised eyebrow. Luckily, they were out of eyeshot after a few minutes.

At first she enjoyed the time alone, but the longer she sat there, almost motionless, the worse it got, due to a swirling tornado of thoughts rushing frantically around inside her head for hours.  
It made her grit her teeth and try not to remember her previous days. Weeks.  
It became almost unbearable.  
The day Ned had died felt surreal, like it was a memory from another life.  
It kind of was. She could not easily pluck things from it. Certain memories stood out: the shock she felt upon receiving the message; the crying of her mother, her younger siblings and Sansa; Everything else was shapeless; it was still a part of her memories, but too gruesome to be recalled. The fear and concern that came with them seemed almost obtainable, tempting her to reach out chase them away for good, but when she tried, they slipped through her fingers and back into the shadows of her mind.

As much as these dark thoughts unsettled her, she refused to get completely consumed by them.  
She had gone through so much, endured so much, and would not let this one event take over her mind.

"_This is what happens_." she told herself. "_People die. I'll have to live with it._"

Her new resolution was still on her mind, when the sudden sound of footsteps startled her.  
From the corner of her eye she saw someone with one of these horrible green T-shirts approaching her. "_Oh no, counsellor._"

She spun around and was not sure whether to be relieved or terrified when she saw it was Gendry.

"Hey."

Arya was already trying to come up with an excuse to spare herself getting in trouble for not really following the rules. But Gendry did not exactly look like he cared. He was casually leaning against the tree, smiling mildly at her.

"Y'know; I'm starting to wonder if you are shy or just genuinely hate camping. Or_ campers_, for that matter."  
In spite of the humorous sparkle in his eyes, Arya grew more and more uncomfortable.  
"Neither!" she replied fiercely.  
"So how come you are here and not with the others?" he asked innocently.  
Arya was on the verge of saying "_That's none of your business!_"

- but then Gendry sat down next to her.

His shoulders rose and fell in a sigh.

After what seemed to be an eternity of awkward silence his gaze fell back on Arya.  
"You didn't come here by choice, did you?"  
Arya hesitated for a few moments- considering if telling the truth was worth it. Why should she tell _him_? On the other hand, just telling the truth seemed to be the easiest option.

She shook her head.  
"No, I did not," she said quietly.  
Gendry blinked at her, obviously waiting for her to explain.  
Yet she still kept quiet.

His calm expression changed into a mixture of uneasiness and concern. "Am I bothering you?" he asked warily. "Um, I can go, if you want to be alone, you know-"  
"It's fine," she interrupted him.

Silence, once again. Only the sound of the rustling leaves and the falling rain lingered between them. At least the uneasiness seemed to fade away as time went on.

Arya shivered and pulled her knees tighter to herself. She realized the sky was already darkening and the evening hours brought chilly wind with them.

Gendry was persistent though. "So, mind telling me why you _have to be_ here at the Camp?"  
Arya was genuinely surprised at his concern.  
"Why do you wanna know?"  
"I don't know, maybe there's something I can do. You can't keep sneaking away all the time, without someone noticing. After all, I'm your group's counsellor. It'd come in handy to know if there are any problems."  
Arya stared at him, eyebrows raised critically. "There's _nothing_ you can do."

She tried to read his expression, but it did not give his thoughts away. He just studied her for a long moment and Arya began to feel uneasy under his scrutiny.

Finally he sighed. "Well then, It's okay, if you don't want to talk about it." he smiled compassionately. "Let me know if there's anything I can do, if you change your mind."

At first Arya felt a wave of relief washing her as he finally gave in. She smiled back at him.

In this moment, she came to realize... Gendry had been the only really friendly person so far. Even though she had been at her worst all the time. At least to her, he seemed to be the only _likeable_ person around here.

He was ready to listen to what had happened. He even wanted to _help_.

"See you, then!" he said, whilst standing up. Arya took a deep breath.

He was about to leave when she said:

"Wait. I'll tell you."

Gendry paused and looked at her, puzzled. "Wha- are you sure? I mean, you don't have-"

"No one must know."

He sat down again.

"They won't!...  
Not from me."

* * *

**See what I did there? :D**

**I think I'll get to upload Chapter 5 and 6 tomorrow =)**  
**Oh, btw Gendry has so far been like a happy, fluffy ball of friendliness. It will not always be like this, he shall be pissed off soon.**

**And Arya will be more fun later. Just sayin'.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Yay for angst and awkwardness~ Oh, and Gendry's POV =D**

**Disclaimer: I own none of these characters. **

**Chapter 5**

* * *

Gendry sat and listened to Arya with silent attention.  
In all honestly, he'd assumed the girl would not respond and the conversation would halt at that.

Even though Arya seemed to hide her emotions, it was clear that speaking about the death of her father was getting to her.

He could not express how deeply sorry he felt for her.  
As it stood now, everything Arya had ever known had been torn away from her and she was brutally ripped out of the life she could never have again.  
Also, being forced to attend a camp against her will.  
In her position, he'd be really fucking pissed, too.  
It had dawned on him that there was really nothing he could do.

"All of this shit resulted in me ending up _here_." She concluded at last.

They sat in silence for a bit. He had no idea how to deal with this situation.  
"You're right, there's nothing I can do… I'm sorry."  
Arya shrugged, tugging her knees closer to her body. "Doesn't matter. I can cope."  
"_Doesn't look like you can._" he did not dare to say it aloud.  
"Are you sure?" he asked instead.  
"I'll have to."

Unable to think of the correct thing to say at the moment, he stared numbly at the bleak, cloudy evening sky.  
He noticed the girl shaking next to him, but was unsure of whether it was because of the cold, or their conversation.  
"Hey," He began, finally reaching out and gently folding his hand around Arya's quivering shoulder.  
She promptly turned her head to look at him in surprise. They briefly maintained eye contact- and he believed to see the hint of a smile on her face.

Not for the first time was he trying to figure her out. She did not say anything though; and her face did not give away what she was thinking.  
But his hand remained where it was on the girl's shoulder. Another rippling shudder passed down her spine before she visibly relaxed slightly. Then her gaze wandered back to the landscape and left Gendry clutching at straws as to what to say next.

"Maybe your Mom was… I mean- what if she was right?"  
It was two seconds after he said it that Gendry regretted it.  
Arya was staring at him incredulously, as if awaiting some further explanation in regards to his words.

"_What_?"

In truth, even Gendry wasn't sure why he'd even said it in the first place. There was no taking back his words now.  
"Well, uh." He fumbled for words. He had just gained her trust- kind of. He did not want to shatter it by saying the wrong thing.  
"You know what, never mind."  
Arya glared at him, sceptically. "No, tell me, what do you mean? Right about what?"

"That maybe it is a good thing to be distracted for a while."  
Arya raised her eyebrows in disapproval and opened her mouth to contradict, but he quickly added: "I know it sounds stupid- but… let your mother and older siblings deal with all this. If they weren't capable of sorting things out alone, you wouldn't be here right now, would you? You should not feel all that responsible. It'll be fine."  
The girl's brow puckered for a moment as she studied him apprehensively. "How do you know?"  
He sighed. "I don't."  
"Thought so." She replied.  
Gendry took a deep breath, shaking his head. He just couldn't seem to get through to her.

"_Okay, one more try._" he decided.  
"Let's make a deal," he said, moving in front of her.  
"You are being totally reasonable. Your mom made a huge decision without consulting you and now you're going to be in a situation where you're uncomfortable for the entire summer. I understand that being stuck here makes you unhappy. So if you are really serious about leaving, I will see what I can do and get you out of here."

Arya's eyes widened in surprise.  
"You're serious." She stated quietly.

"Hmm," Gendry shrugged, smiling mildly. "Wouldn't've said it if I wasn't."  
Arya stared at him sceptically as if trying to figure him out. "But how would you do that? I can't just go back."

Gendry shrugged again. "Don't push your luck and make me change my mind. We'll see when the time comes. _If_ the time comes."  
"What do you mean _-if_?"  
He smirked. "That's the other side of the deal._ I_ will help you get out of here, but _you_ will at least _try_ to have fun. Then you can decide in a week if you want to leave. Deal?"  
The traces of a grin flickered across Arya's face for a brief moment.  
"Fine, deal."  
He smiled, relieved.  
Actually, he had no idea how to make her mother believe that Arya needed to go back home. He just hoped he wouldn't_ have_ to come up with something.

"Since we got that sorted out," he began, standing up, "you should go to your cabin. I think all of the others have returned already. You don't want your sister worrying about you, do you? Besides, you look tired."  
Arya rolled her eyes, but smiled at him. "I don't give a fuck about what my sister thinks."  
She rose to her feet nevertheless.  
For some reason, Gendry was pleased to see her smiling for once.

On the way back to the cabins, Gendry smiled inwardly, incredibly happy that he was able to cheer the girl up after all. Even if it meant risking to break some rules.  
At the same time, this was what worried him. He had made his offer carelessly. If she decided to leave in the end, he hoped he could keep his promise.

"See you tomorrow," he said as soon as they reached the bunks. "Oh, and I'd appreciate if you don't tell anybody about our… deal. I kind of need my job."  
Arya laughed. "Secret's safe with me."  
Before she opened the cabin door, she turned to him.

"Thank you."

* * *

**Yay, I'm almost done with the part I hate the most. I'm really not good at writing two characters getting to know each other. **  
**I've rewritten this chapter countless times and something is still bugging me about it, but whatever~**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey :D I'm reeeaaally sorry that I didn't update sooner, but I had to study for a history exam T.T **  
**Also, despite the long wait, this chapter is awful and I couldn't be bothered to change that much about it, because it is not that important. SORRY if it seems rushed.**

* * *

**Chapter 6**

She'd completely hate camp. There was absolutely zero question in her mind. No matter how hard she would try, she was sure she would not come to like it.  
Sitting in dirt. Swimming in fish-poop water. People she couldn't stand 24/7. It was horrifying. But she had to admit she didn't like the idea of disappointing her new and only friend so she decided to keep her promise and try to stop complaining.

"_At least it could be worse._" She thought, imagining herself in the middle of the woods, cutting down trees to burn for warmth, eating roasted-chipmunk and getting terrorized by a nature-dwelling chain-saw predator, when Sansa interrupted her mental worst-case-scenario.  
"Where were you yesterday?"  
She jumped out of her bed, before countering "Why d'you ask? Don't tell me it bothered you."  
"Arya, come on, just quit it. I bet you were breaking rules, wandering off and-"  
"I was _not_ breaking rules." "_For now_" she added silently. "And even if so- it's none of your business."  
"Okay, fine." Sansa hissed, irritated. "If you wanna get in trouble it's not my problem, don't say I didn't warn you."  
Arya just walked past her sister and slammed the bathroom door shut.

They had some free time after breakfast and Arya intended to spend it calling Jon.  
On her way to the cabins she looked over to the sports field and saw a few people playing there.  
That's when she saw Gendry. He was running across the field, about to throw a ball.

"Gendry!" A girl squeaked as he threw the ball and it whisked by her face. "You almost hit me," she whined.  
"Sorry Ash" he said, out of breath. "It's a game. You've got to move or be moved."  
At that moment he looked up and saw Arya.  
"Water break!" he announced, not taking his eyes off hers.  
"Hi," she said, smiling mildly.  
"Hey. How's it going?" To anyone else it would have just sounded like an ordinary greeting, but Arya picked up the slightest concerned undertone in his voice.  
"You mean, apart from being a prisoner at a Summer Camp?" she tried to speak light-heartedly, since she felt guilty troubling him. "Other than that, it's fine."  
He grinned at her, any trace of concern on his face seemed to vanish.  
"Join us for dodge ball?" he suggested. "_I knew he'd ask_" she thought, gritting her teeth.  
But she nodded. It was her first opportunity to prove she was actually keeping her promise.

"We're short on my side so I guess you're with me. You can stand over there." He pointed to a line of girls who were staring at her curiously. In a daze, Arya walked over to her designated spot, trying hard not to slip in the mud that came from yesterday's rain.  
From the corner of her eyes she noticed the girl next to her staring at her.  
Arya smiled awkwardly at her.  
"He's hot, right?" she whispered and took a puff of what looked like an inhaler.  
Arya spun around, unsure about what to say.

"You guys ready to play?" Gendry interrupted the increasingly awkward situation at the perfect moment.  
"Yes!" Arya nodded.  
"Great," Gendry said. "I like a newbie who's ready for action."  
She flashed a half-hearted smile at him, but in truth she was concerned about his enthusiasm.  
He already seemed so convinced she would end up staying at the camp. But it was not that simple.

"Game on!" Another counselor yelled, interrupting her thoughts. Arya hadn't taken more than two steps to get into position when the unthinkable happened.  
BOOM!  
The dodgeball smacked her in the face, dizzying her. The next thing she knew, her feet were slipping on mud. She tried to regain her balance, but then she felt a sharp thud, blinding pain in the back of her head. She closed her eyes before the dizziness could take over.

"_What a way to make a ﬁrst impression._"

When she opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was Gendry.

"Hey, that was quite a spill," he said as he leaned over her. "Are you okay?"  
Arya nodded, while quickly standing up. Her head still hurt a bit, but she would not admit that. She already felt ashamed as it was.  
Everything came ﬂooding back. She got hit in the face with the ball and wiped out. In front of all the counselors. She'd only been at camp for two days and already made a fool of herself. "_Hello, bad camp nickname!_" she cursed inwardly.  
"Maybe you should see the nurse?" Gendry suggested. "No way!" Arya shook her head disapprovingly. "I'm fine."  
Gendry shrugged. "Okay, then- just don't blame me if you drown today."  
"Drown?" She glanced at him sceptically.  
"Yes. Y'know, Camp activities? 1 pm. Instructional Swim."  
She rolled her eyes. Could this day get any worse?

"Let's go to lunch." He said suddenly and they headed to the mess hall.  
"Don't tell my sister about this." Arya told him on the way.  
He gave her a smirk. "What if I did?"  
"Yeah-well" she stumbled for words. "I still know where you sleep, okay?"  
"Was that threat?"  
"Yes." She replied, deadpan. Gendry laughed and shook his head. "Well, it was a poor one."  
Before she got the chance to make more empty threats he added: "But I won't tell your sister, or anyone else for that matter. Though I don't see why it bothers you, it was not _your_ fault after all."  
She shrugged. He studied her for a moment and then said: "You and your sister don't get along very well, huh?"  
"So you noticed." She said, a trace of a smile on her lips. "Yeah, it's always been like that. It doesn't bother me though." He nodded, but said nothing more.

"Hey, look over there" he pointed to the edge of the wood and in the midst of some trees Arya could see what looked like one of the bunks- just completely derelict. The windows were broken and the paint had peeled off.  
"That's what everyone calls the Haunted Bunk," Gendry said. "Campers sometimes go inside as a dare." He smirked. "Some are convinced they heard strange noises."  
"Yeah, they probably saw ghosts, too?" Arya smiled mildly. She had expected there would be some kind of stereotypical spooky camp story.  
He grinned at her. "Cheesy, right? Beats me why campers are creeped out by it every year."

Arya snuck a glance at him. Her new friend seemed so easy-going and comfortable.  
She contemplated for a second whether she might end up staying at camp after all. With Gendry around, the idea seemed less absurd. Even though this didn't mean that camp was anywhere close to a level that could be considered tolerable.

"Let's go, lunch time has already begun."

**Told you it is terrible D: Okay, but I am finally done with Arya's worst camp depression phase- so the story will go uphill from here, I promise!**  
**Alsooooo, there will be a Halloween chapter. (yep, that Haunted Bunk thingy will be a thing hah.)**

**-Edit-**

**Sorry, I had no internet connection for the last week, so I couldn't update the chapter for Halloween- I will over the next few days.**

**Also, this fic will be on hiatus, because I try to get NaNoWriMo challenge done this year. I THINK I will have no time to update, but I will definitely try. If I can't, expect this to be back in December =D**


End file.
